The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2016 International Roadcheck is less than a week away.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 29th annual roadcheck will take place June 7-9, 2016. During this 72-hour period, approximately 10,000 CVSA-certified local, state, provincial and federal inspectors in jurisdictions across North America perform truck and bus inspections. Here is what you need to know to make sure you’re not cited during an inspection.
Tips for Avoiding Tire Violations
Each year, a special emphasis is placed on a category of violations. This year’s focus will be on tired safety. Here are the CVSA’s recommendations to avoid a tire violation:
Know the Regulations.
Motor carrier regulations set minimum requirements for safe tire operation, including provisions for proper inflation and loading, minimum tread depth and safe tire condition.
Keep Your Vehicle Suspension in Alignment.
Improper alignment will rapidly wear down tires. Make sure your vehicle maintenance plan includes tire, wheel and suspension alignment.
Follow Industry Best Practices for Tire Management.
Tire inflation should be checked at appropriate intervals for the operation. Be sure to check your tires for proper inflation.
Understand Tire Specifications.
Tires are rated not only for size, but for maximum load, type of service and speed of operation. Tire specifications on the vehicle tire information label should be followed.
- Air Pressure
- 15% under inflation in a tire equals approximately an 8% decrease in expected tread mileage.
- 10 psi under inflation can cause tires to wear out 20% faster than normal.
- Tires can lose 3 psi per month just due to air migration.
- Tires can run up to 5 degrees hotter for every psi the tire is under inflated due to excessive flexing.
- Matching tire air pressures is critical in dual assemblies. A mismatch of 5 psi can change the tire circumference, and over 100,000 miles would be equivalent to dragging the under-inflated tire 246 miles.
- Tread Size
- For every size that a tread width is undersized from the recommended width, mileage is reduced by 10%.
- Tread Depths
- Across axles and between tandem axles, tread depths need to be within 4/32″.
- Wheel Position/Matching Duals, Twin Screw Tractors
- Should be less than 1/4″ difference in diameter (less than 3/4″ difference in circumference).
- Left front steer tire wears faster than the right tire.
To learn more about tire safety, visit the CVSA website. To find out more about Truck Writers’ insurance offering call us today.